ASWSU passed a referendum for WSU students to vote whether to add a $4 fee for the Office of Student Media, producers of the Chinook Yearbook, The Daily Evergreen and WSU Visitors Magazine.

“We really want students to have a say in our student media,” said Hannah Street, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Evergreen. She said in the spring of 2015, the late president Elson S. Floyd offered Student Media a one-time allocation of funding for advising staff after the Services and Activites S&A Fees Committee granted about a 30 percent increase in funding rather than the 150 percent increase requested.

Students currently help fund Student Media through semester fees, but if the $4 fee is passed, Student Media would be able to lessen their requests in S&A deliberations. This would free funding up for other student organizations to take more part in the S&A funding pool and give Student Media a guaranteed source of funding away from the uncertainty of a yearly deliberation process, Street said. 

Street said Floyd suggested a referendum request be presented to ASWSU in fall of 2015, asking for students to vote on whether to add a student media fee to the enrollment process. If the referendum was rejected, Student Media should ask again in spring of 2015, then petition the S&A committee if rejected again.

Having a fee would ensure that Student Media has a permanent source of funding, Senator Garrett Kalt said.

“The fact that Floyd gave them that donation I think speaks for the importance of it,” he said.

Members of Student Media went to ASWSU last semester regarding the referendum, which was voted down. The Senate asked then-Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Evergreen Dustin Brennan to come back during the spring semester with a clearer representation of what the referendum would entail.

Multiple senators were concerned students will not understand what they are voting for. If the Senate does not understand exactly where the Student Media funds are going, then ASWSU should not let students vote on the matter, Senator Josue Zuniga said.

The fee would be used to hire and keep advisers for the Office of Student Media, Street said. She said if students vote to pay the $4 fee each semester, Student Media will not have to ask the S&A committee for an increase in funding each year.

The Office of Student Media wants to become less dependent on S&A funds, Street said, as the committee has brought up the content of The Daily Evergreen in past deliberations. She said this threatens the autonomy of Student Media, which, to remain autonomous requires a stable, consistent source of funding.

Senator Tyisha Brown El said it does not seem fair for students to have another mandatory fee that may or may not increase as time progresses.

If the S&A committee is not giving Student Media the budget desired now, then it is unlikely there would be an increase of the fee, Senator Kourtni Jefson said.

Jefson said ASWSU should not vote on the fee based on personal opinions, but on whether students should have the ability to vote themselves.

The Senate approved the referendum 14-6 on the condition it will be able to review all advertisements regarding and leading up to the election on March 6, in order to minimize confusion between Student Media, ASWSU and the student population.

The Senate also approved a $2,600 grant to the Brown Style dance, presented by members of the fraternity La Hermandad De O eMe Te. The dance is having its 20 year anniversary and emphasizes diversity.

The fraternity originally asked for $3,000, but the Senate said the given amount should take care of the necessities needed. The dance will occur on April 2 at 10 p.m. at Ensminger Pavilion.

Editor’s note: Some statements have been clarified for accuracy.